Portsmouth man charged with fleeing police, striking cruisers

ROCHESTER — A Portsmouth man was indicted Oct. 19 on charges alleging he crashed his car into two cruisers while attempting to flee arrest on an outstanding warrant.

Travis Moseley, 24, was indicted on three counts of reckless conduct and one charge of criminal mischief. All four charges are Class B felonies, and each carries a potential sentence of 3.5-7 years.

The indictments allege that Moseley purposefully caused $1,500 in damages to the police cruisers and endangered the public in his efforts to escape by driving in a dangerous manner and at a high rate of speed, essentially using his car as a dangerous weapon.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It means a grand jury found sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial.

Moseley was arrested by Rochester police on Aug. 1. According to information provided by Capt. Todd Pinkham, the department was made aware of open warrants for Moseley stemming from felony and misdemeanor crimes in Newmarket. Police received information that Moseley may have been in the parking lot of the Spaulding Common at 306 North Main Street in Rochester.

Officer Dwayne Hatch and his K9 partner, Ripley, located Moseley's car in the parking lot in a space with a tree directly behind it. Hatch positioned his cruiser in front of Moseley's car to block it in.

According to police, Moseley made several multipoint turns to get around Hatch's cruiser. A New Hampshire State Police trooper arrived to assist, but police said Moseley pulled out of the parking space, striking both cruisers. The crash was at a low speed, and police said there were no injuries to either officer or K9 Ripley, who was inside the Rochester cruiser.

Police said Moseley fled in his Ford Escape and entered the Spaulding Turnpike, where he disappeared from their sight. They found him in the Cumberland Farms parking lot on Knight Street, but police said he took off again, speeding south on South Main Street and then Rochester Hill Road. Officers pursued him, but he left the city via Rochester Hill Road before they could catch up.

Moseley was eventually apprehended in Maine later in the day. He refused bail and was arraigned at Strafford Superior Court on Aug. 2.